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Five months after being pulled up by the aviation regulator for crew rostering failures, Air India is once again facing questions over internal oversight, reported TOI. The airline has taken two pilots off flying duty after discovering that one co-pilot and one senior commander operated commercial flights last month in violation of licensing requirements — one with a lapsed English Language Proficiency (ELP) certificate and another without completing mandatory corrective training after failing a proficiency check.According to the report, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has launched an investigation into both incidents and sought a detailed report from the airline. Air India has also instructed its pilots to re-verify all licence and certification documents to ensure full compliance with regulatory norms. Flights operated despite licence violations In the first case, an Airbus A320 co-pilot reportedly flew a scheduled flight despite failing to clear his latest bi-annual Pilot Proficiency Check (PPC) and Instrument Rating (IR) test. While such failures are not unusual, pilots are required to undergo remedial training and re-assessment before resuming duty. However, the co-pilot allegedly skipped this step and operated a commercial flight regardless — a lapse officials describe as “extremely serious.”Live EventsAccording to TOI, ir India has confirmed the violation, stating: An instance of a first officer operating a flight after an unsatisfactory recurrent training check was detected by the training team. As soon as the error came to our notice, a crew scheduler and the pilot involved were off-rostered. Strong disciplinary proceedings have been initiated and the same has been duly reported to the regulator, DGCA.” In the second incident, a senior commander served as pilot-in-command of an A320 flight even though his English Language Proficiency licence had expired — a mandatory requirement for exercising pilot privileges. The airline said: “An instance of a senior pilot operating a flight with a lapsed ELP licence was detected. As soon as the error came to our notice, the senior pilot involved was off-rostered and the matter is being investigated. The same has been duly reported to the regulator, DGCA.” Regulator’s warning still fresh Senior pilots and industry insiders say the incidents highlight continuing gaps in Air India’s rostering and compliance monitoring systems. The DGCA had already found “repeated and serious violations” in June, following a probe launched after the Ahmedabad crash on June 12. In its June 20 order, the regulator held three senior airline officials responsible for “systemic failures” in crew scheduling, citing instances where pilots were deployed despite lapses in licensing, rest, and flight-time limitations. It warned that any further breaches could attract strict penalties — including licence suspension or withdrawal of Air India’s operating permissions. Despite these warnings, the latest lapses suggest that the airline’s internal checks remain inconsistent. Add as a Reliable and Trusted News Source Add Now! (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel) Read More News onaviation regulation breachesDGCA investigationpilot proficiency checkpilot licensing violationsAir India safety complianceAir India crew rosteringAir India disciplinary actionsEnglish Language Proficiency certificate (Catch all the Business News, Breaking News and Latest News Updates on The Economic Times.) Subscribe to The Economic Times Prime and read the ET ePaper online....moreless (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel)Read More News onaviation regulation breachesDGCA investigationpilot proficiency checkpilot licensing violationsAir India safety complianceAir India crew rosteringAir India disciplinary actionsEnglish Language Proficiency certificate(Catch all the Business News, Breaking News and Latest News Updates on The Economic Times.) Subscribe to The Economic Times Prime and read the ET ePaper online....moreless
